Exams and Tests

Persons with suspected pneumonia should have a complete medical evaluation. It may be hard for your health care provider to tell whether you have pneumonia, bronchitis, or another respiratory infection, so you may need a chest x-ray.

Depending on how severe your symptoms are, other tests may be done, including:

Treatment

Control your fever with aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen or naproxen), or acetaminophen. DO NOT give aspirin to children.

Do not take cough medicines without first talking to your doctor. Cough medicines may make it harder for your body to cough up the extra sputum.

Drink plenty of fluids to help loosen secretions and bring up phlegm.

Get a lot of rest. Have someone else do household chores.

Antibiotics are used to treat atypical pneumonia:

You may be able to take antibiotics by mouth at home.

If your condition is severe, you will likely be admitted to a hospital. There, you will be given antibiotics through a vein (intravenously), as well as oxygen.

Antibiotics are used for 2 weeks or more.

Finish all the antibiotics you've been prescribed, even if you feel better. If you stop the medicine too soon, the pneumonia can return and may be harder to treat.

Outlook (Prognosis)

Most people recover completely without antibiotics, although antibiotics may speed recovery. In untreated adults, cough and weakness can last for up to a month. The disease can be more serious in the elderly and in those with a weakened immune system.

Version Info

Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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